North Carolina Emergency Alert System State Plan
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NORTH CAROLINA EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM Alleghany C Northampto Gates ur Ashe Surry Person P Ca r i tu Stokes Rockingham Caswell Vance Warren n a m c Granville Hertford s q de k Pe u o t n Halifax rq a n Watauga Wi lkes ui m k Yadkin a Forsyth Ch n s Franklin Bertie o w M Avery Guilford Alamance Orange a it c Durham n h e ll Caldwell Alexander Davie Nash Yancey Edgecombe Madison Martin Iredell Davidson Wake Washington Tyrell Dare Burke Chatham McDowell Randolph Wilson Catawba Haywood Buncombe Rowan Pitt Beaufort Hyde Swain Lee Johnston Rutherford Lincoln Greene Cabarrus Graham Henderson Jackson Stanly Moore Harnett Wayne Polk Cleveland Gaston nia Montgomery Lenoir Macon lva Mecklenbur Craven Cherokee nsy Tra g Clay Cumberland Pamlico Richmond Hoke Sampson Jones Union Anson Duplin Scotland Onslow Carteret Robeson Bladen Pender New Columbus Hanover Brunswick June 2005 STATE PLAN State of North Carolina Emergency Alert System Plan – June 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS...............................................................................................................1 I. INTENT AND PURPOSE OF THIS PLAN...................................................................4 II AUTHORITY ............................................................................................................................... 4 III. THE NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL EMERGERNCY ALERT SYSTEM: PARTICIPATION AND PRIORITIES ..........................................................................4 A. NATIONAL EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM PARTICIPATION…………… B. STATE/LOCAL EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM PARTICIPATION………. C. CONDITIONS OF EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM PARTICIPATION……. D. EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM PRIORITIES………………………………. IV. THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE ...................................................................................................................6 V. ORGANIZATION AND CONCEPTS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM ..................................................................................6 A. EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM DESIGNATIONS…………………………… B. DELIVERY PLAN……………………………………………………………….. C. DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL EAS STRUCTURE AND PLANS……………… D. ORIGINS OF EAS INFORMATION…………………………………………….. VI. AUTHENTICATION........................................................................................................9 A. NATIONAL………………………………………………………………………. B. STATE ……………………………………………………………………………. C. LOCAL ……………………………………………………………………………………. VII. EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM PROTOCOL ..........................................................9 A. HEADER CODE………………………………………………………………….. B. ATTENTION SIGNAL …………………………………………………………... C. AURAL MESSAGE………………………………………………………………. D. END OF MESSAGE……………………………………………………………… E. TIME-DURATION AND COUNTY LOCATION CODES ………………………... VIII. REQUIRED EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM TESTS.............................................14 A. REQUIRED WEEKLY TEST……………………………………………………. B. REQUIRED MONTHLY TEST ……………………………………………………….. IX. STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM SCRIPTS AND FORMATS .............................................................................................................16 1 State of North Carolina Emergency Alert System Plan – June 2005 A. REQUIRED WEEKLY TEST……………………………………………………. B. REQUIRED MONTHLY TEST……………………………………………………….. X. EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM ACTIVATION PROCEDURES.........................17 A. NATIONAL ACTIVATION PROCEDURES…………………………………… B. STATE ACTIVATION PROCEDURES………………………………………… C. LOCAL AREA ACTIVATION PROCEDURES ………………………………... D. NORTH CAROLINA CHILD ALERT NOTIFICATION ROCEDURES………. E. WEATHER-RELATED EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM PROCEDURES….... XI. GUIDANCE FOR BROADCASTING AN EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM ALERT .............................................................................................................................19 A. RADIO TRANSMISSION OF AN EAS ALERT………………………………… B. TELECASTING AN EAS ALERT……………………………………………….. XII. GUIDANCE FOR ORIGINATORS OF AN EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM ALERTS...........................................................................................................................20 A. GUIDANCE FOR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PERSONNEL………… B. GUIDANCE FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT/SERVICES PERSONNEL GLOSSARY..................................................................................................................................21 ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................................25 SIGNATURE/APPROVAL PAGE…………………………………………………………….46 APPENDICES APPENDIX A (Roster of Entities Authorized to Activate the Emergency Alert System) …….28 APPENDIX B (State Emergency Communications Committee) ................................................29 (Local Area Emergency Communications Commission )...…………………...30 APPENDIX C (Emergency Alert System State Relay Map) ……………………………….......32 APPENDIX D (EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM DAISY CHAIN NETWORK) .............................. 34 APPENDIX E (EAS Monitoring Assignments by Local Area )…………………….....………35 APPENDIX F (National-level Emergency Alert System)………………………………...…..37 APPENDIX G (National Weather Service Forecast Area Map)…………………………….. 39 2 State of North Carolina Emergency Alert System Plan – June 2005 APPENDIX H (NWR Station Locations and Radio Frequencies )…………………………... 41 APPENDIX I (EMnet Message Distribution System) ………………………………………...42 APPENDIX J (Emergency Alert System Event Codes)……………………………………….43 APPENDIX K (Federal Information Processing Systems Codes) .......................................... 44 APPENDIX L (Federal Information Processing Systems Code Map) ………………………45 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM PRIORITIES .................................................. 6 TABLE 2. EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM DESIGNATION DEFINTIONS .................... 7 TABLE 3. HEADER CODE SEQUENCE ............................................................................ 10 TABLE 4. EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM ORIGINATOR CODES............................... 11 TABLE 5. EXAMPLE LOCATION CODES........................................................................ 12 TABLE 6. EXAMPLE DURATION CODES ....................................................................... 12 TABLE 7. ENCODER IDENTIFIER CODE FORMATS...………………………….……13 TABLE 8. NATIONAL EVENT CODES…………………………………………………. 43 TABLE 9. LOCAL EVENT CODES………………....……………………………………44 3 State of North Carolina Emergency Alert System Plan – June 2005 I. INTENT AND PURPOSE OF THIS PLAN This plan is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandated document outlining the organization and implementation of the State of North Carolina Emergency Alert System (EAS). This plan is the guideline for North Carolina broadcasters, cable television operators, state and local entities authorized to use the EAS (as listed in Appendix A) to determine: • Mandated and optional monitoring assignments; • Codes to be used in the EAS Header sequence; • Schedule of the Required Monthly Tests (RMTs) which must be relayed by all broadcasters and cable operators; • Any other elements of the EAS which are unique to this state. II. AUTHORITY Authority lies within Title 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i) and (o), 303(r), 524(g) and 606; and 47 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR,) Part 11, Federal Communications Commission Rules and Regulations, Emergency Alert System as it pertains to day-to-day emergency operations. All operations of the Emergency Alert System are in accordance with Subpart G of Part 73, FCC Regulations (Title 47, Code of Federal Regulations; the Federal Communications Commission's "EAS Checklist"). This plan is consistent with the provisions of the rules and regulations of the Federal Communications Commission and is considered to be a supplement to the National Emergency Alert System Plan. This Plan is an adjunct to the FCC EAS Rules, and is not meant to be a summary, in whole or in part, of those rules. Consult FCC Rules Part 11 for complete rules regarding the Emergency Alert System. All references located within brackets in the following text refer to the aforementioned FCC Rules Part 11. III. THE NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM: PARTICIPATION AND PRIORITIES A. National Emergency Alert System Participation The EAS is composed of broadcast networks; cable networks and program suppliers; AM, FM, Low Power FM (LPFM) and TV broadcast stations; Class A television (CA) stations; Low Power TV (LPTV) stations; cable systems; wireless cable systems which may consist of Multipoint Distribution Service (MDS), Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS), or Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS) stations; and other entities and industries operating on an organized basis during emergencies at the National, State and local levels. It requires that at a minimum all participants use a common EAS protocol, as defined in § 11.31, to send and receive emergency alerts. As a member of the EAS, participants are required to have a working encoder/decoder (en/dec) box with the following exceptions: (a) cable and wireless cable systems serving fewer than 5,000 subscribers are required to install an FCC-certified decoder only, and; 4 State of North Carolina Emergency Alert System Plan – June 2005 (b) broadcast satellite and repeater station, which rebroadcast 100% of the programming of their hub station, will be exempt from the requirement to install EAS equipment. All broadcasters and subject cable operators are required to participate in the National-